With most of the NFL Week 12 schedule in the books, it is time to take a look at some of the biggest losers from around the league.
Washington Commanders special teams
The Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders combined for what might have been the single worst special teams game in NFL history on Sunday, and the Commanders ended up having the worst of it.
Kicker Austin Seibert missed a field and two extra points, including a potential game-tying extra point in the final minute of regulation, while their kick coverage team allowed two kick return touchdowns, including a 99-yard return with three minutes to play just after the offense had made it a one-score game.
The Commanders were not great in any aspect on Sunday, but the special teams was a special level of bad.
Joe Schoen, general manager, New York Giants
As Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers said after Sunday’s 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, “It isn’t the quarterback.”
The Giants made Daniel Jones the scapegoat for this miserable season this week by benching him (and then releasing him), and things did not magically improve. This is a team-wide failure on the field and on the sidelines with head coach Brian Daboll, and that all falls on the person responsible for putting this all together — the GM. This is his mess. All of it.
New England Patriots defense
The Patriots defense showing up in the loser column has become a little too common, and that has to be a concern because this was supposed to be the side of the ball that was a strength this season. It has been anything but a strength, and that unit was completely outclassed on Sunday in a 34-15 loss to Miami.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had his way with the Patriots defense, passing for 317 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
C.J. Stroud, quarterback, Houston Texans
There is something missing with the Texans this season, and after Sunday’s shocking loss to the Tennessee Titans, they find themselves at 7-5 with a couple of really bad losses to some really bad teams.
While Stroud has not had a bad season by any stretch, there does seem to be some regression this season in his performance. The offensive line has been a mess, there have been some major injuries at wide receiver and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has not had a good year.
But Stroud could still stand to be better, and he struggled again on Sunday with two more interceptions and some off-target throws that we were used to seeing him make a year ago.
Carolina Panthers red zone offense
There was a lot to like about the Panthers’ performance on Sunday. They gave the Kansas City Chiefs everything they could handle and pushed them to the literal final play of regulation.
Quarterback Bryce Young also had a mostly fantastic day passing for 263 yards, a touchdown and zero interceptions. They moved the ball for most of the day on offense. The only problem — they could not finish drives once they got into the red zone, and had to settle for too many field goals.
If they could have turned even one of their four field goal drives into a touchdown they might have pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season.
Anthony Richardson, quarterback, Indianapolis Colts
Richardson got his starting job back and showed a lot of progress a week ago in a win over the New York Jets. The competition was kicked up to a different level on Sunday against Detroit, and the inconsistency returned. While he ran the ball well and did not throw any interceptions, he completed just 11-of-28 passes for only 172 yards and zero touchdowns.
It is the fourth time this season he has finished a game with a completion percentage under 50%. That is not winning football.
Kyle Shanahan, head coach, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are dealing with injuries, and that has certainly played a big role in their 5-6 record. But it seems like this team has simply missed its championship window with this core. Shanahan made former defensive coordinator Steve Wilks the fall guy for the Super Bowl loss, and the defense has taken a huge step backward.
Sunday’s 38-10 loss in Green Bay was not just about missing quarterback Brock Purdy. The 49ers were outplayed and soundly beaten across the board while looking like an undisciplined and unprepared football team.
Kyler Murray, quarterback, Arizona Cardinals
Murray has been fantastic for the Cardinals this season and is a big reason why they were in first place in the NFC West entering play on Sunday. But he struggled and played a big role in their 16-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks to knock them from the top spot.
His worst play was a pick-six on a 4th-and-1 play that put the Cardinals into a 10-point deficit.
He also had a chance to bring them closer in the fourth quarter when he missed a chance to complete a touchdown pass to tight end Trey McBride, resulting in a field goal attempt.
